COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Coconut Creek police asked for the public’s help Wednesday in a decades-old murder investigation after identifying a woman who they say had been known only as “Jane Doe” for more than 40 years.
On Sept. 28, 1981, officers responded to the 6700 block of Lyons Road, where a woman was found dead in a canal.
Police said an autopsy determined she had been shot in the head. Investigators were unable to identify her at the time because she had no identification.
Last November, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office discovered the victim’s original fingerprint card in its archives. The fingerprints were submitted to the National Crime Information Center database, where investigators received a match.
Police later identified the victim as Barbara Overby, who was 24 years old and lived in Fort Lauderdale at the time of her death.
A detective later located Overby’s father in North Carolina.
Investigators said the family had not seen or heard from her in about 35 years and only recalled unconfirmed reports that she may have been living in Florida. The family provided two photographs of Overby, which police released on Wednesday.
Detectives are now hoping the renewed attention will generate new leads in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact Coconut Creek police at 954-973-6700. The investigation remains ongoing.
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